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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32451
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **I've been struggling with this as well, @Keker.**

I'd ask you this: Would you describe all sections of your manuscript as childish? Are some better and more mature in style than others? This thought ties in part into what Chris said in his answer. To the point: the things you feel passionately about are things you will have more nuanced knowledge about.

The portions of my story that feel most juvenile are the pieces that need to be there - but that I don't actually have much experience with. It reads 'juvenile' because it is not sophisticated. My approach to bring this up is to research those areas to add detail, develop it more.

It's helping.

If you can pinpoint certain scenes or chunks that feel most juvenile, consider researching the pieces of that scene to learn more about it. Ask yourself if there are parts of your story that you sort of 'hand wave' because in your mind it doesn't matter if the details are right or not. then learn more about those details.

**Example:** I'm currently learning the makeup and definitions of villages in comparison to towns.

This may sound like a trivial thing to worry about - but it matters to tone and style for those portions of my story that are set in a town. I need to also research what sorts of road surfaces would be available to these towns in this era. At the moment the roads are a mix of cobbles, dirt, and paved - because i have no earthly idea which is most accurate or if all three are reasonable. I don't know if there would be sidewalks, or what they'd be made of. I don't know how many guest houses a town like this should reasonably have, or how developed the medical center should be. I've handled all of this in a very hand-wavy sort of way but need to nail down those details - and that will add a little more authority to the setting; the reader will understand that they are 'in good hands' when they read it, and I think this creates a more mature tone.

Original score: 2